Assessing posts after the third session

On the evening of the third session I logged into the class Google Plus page and assessed student posts.  Six had been completed, with the quality of the pronunciation very good, demonstrating learning intentions having been met for the group of six.

Revisiting the Plus page in the weekend following the session, there are still only the six posts.  This is a little disappointing as it seemed that, with 12 of 16 students having posted last week, I would begin to see higher numbers of student posts.

To make the students more accountable I will organise a second weekly session with the class, albeit a shorter on (10-15 minutes), perhaps two days after the first weekly session.

Third class session 21-5-13

I arrived in class for the third session I was slightly late.  This proved to be positive and reaffirming, as when I got there the class had already started the session without me, all having signed on correctly.

The session with the class ran along the same lines as the first two sessions.  Again I focused on the positives of the students who completed posts (12 of 16 students, plus the class teacher).

It seems apparent that all students are clear on what to do, but there are still the small group of students who haven't yet posted.  I will ensure that I work with this group in the next whole class session, not finishing in the class until all have completed a post.

It has been great to see the class teacher doing posts.  I am sure that this motivates the class, as it shows that she values the programme through her own participation.   

Reflections at the end of the second week

Were the learners successful in completing the tasks assigned?
This week there were 13 posts done by students, significantly more than the previous week.  

Did the activity work like you expected? Were there any outcomes that you did not expect?
I have been very please with the way in which the programme has developed.  students appear very confident with the process of using Google Plus to access information and share their own learning.  

An unexpected outcome has been the class teacher actively taking part in the programme through her own posts to the Google Plus page.  I have also been pleasantly surprised to receive emails form students thanking me for the feedback that I have passed on to them.
 
Were the learners engaged/motivated by the activity?
During the time that I am in class with students they continue to appear to be very motivated by the programme.  This is reflected in their use of mandarin whenever I visit class, for whatever reason, over the course of the week.

I do feel that if a little more time was provided in class, I would receive posts from all students.  However, all students do have access to the Internet at home and should be able to post out of school hours.

Regular use of Mandarin at school

A significant factor that has emerged since the Google Plus Mandarin programme started at St Mary's School has been the use of Mandarin whenever I meet students from the senior class, whether it be when I see them in the playground of if I visit their classroom.  This has been an outcome that I had hoped to achieve, which I believe will be a key factor in the students retaining what they learn through the programme.

The above-mentioned factor highlights the advantage of face to face contact supporting the online aspect of the programme.

A newspaper editorial supporting the theme of my research

Here is an interesting editorial from the New Zealand Herald.  It is very reaffirming to those schools in New Zealand who are implementing Mandarin language programmes for students.  The editorial starts:

'The drums are beating for more children to learn Mandarin. The Prime Minister wants more pupils to consider it. Education expert Wendy Pye goes further. She wants it to be compulsory for all New Zealand primary schools to offer children a chance to learn Mandarin. Compulsion would be a step too far. But it is not difficult to understand why there should be every encouragement for children to learn the language'.

To read the editorial in full, click here.

Reflections on the project so far

Were the learners successful in completing the tasks assigned?
For the first lesson, seven of the 16 students completed their Google Plus video posts.  

Did the activity work like you expected? Were there any outcomes that you did not expect?
Of the seven who posted, I was very happy with the way in which they followed the guidelines set by me to complete their video posts.  In terms of meeting lesson learning intentions, I was very pleased with the quality of the pronunciation of the four Mandarin tones in the video posts.  

Based on the apparent level of motivation I saw in class I was a little surprised and disappointed not to see more of the students completing posts for the first lesson.  During the week I sent out a group email, complimenting those who had done posts and encouraging those who hadn't.  I included the classroom teacher in the group email.  This group email led to only one more post being done.

Were the learners engaged/motivated by the activity?
Through the time I spent with the students in class it appeared that they were all very motivated by the task, particularly when I was working with them.  However, the limited number of posts suggests that their motivation waned once the direct teaching from me stopped.    

More posts for lesson 1

I have checked again for posts on the class Google Plus page.  There are two more, making a total of six of the 16 children in the class.  I have email the class as a whole to recognise the six who have posted, and to remind (gently) the 10 who haven't to post by the time we catch up on Tuesday.

I have also emailed individually the six students who have posted with specific feedback on their pronunciation of the four tones, the focus for lesson 1.

Only a limited number of posts

I spent a second (short) session with the students to ensure that they were aware of the process for posting their video recordings on the Google Plus page.  It seemed that all were aware of the process and very enthusiastic.  However, having checked the page this evening, there are only four posts from the class of 16 students.

My first step to address the limited number of posts will be a group email to the class complimenting those who have done posts on their good work, and reminding those who haven't yet posted to have them done by the time we meet as a class next Tuesday.

Students introduced to the process

Today I started to introduced the students to the process that they will use to learn Mandarin through Google Plus.  The class already has Google Apps access, as well as their own mini laptop; not surprisingly the students were pretty good at accessing the Google Apps Mandarin material that I had prepared for them.

I will spend a shorter second session with the group tomorrow, as I want to see them creating their own posts, including videos.  Without the ability to do this, they won't be able to meet the basic fundamental skill level to successfully participate in the programme.

Ready to go!

I have posted an introduction video and the first lesson to my Google Plus Mandarin page.  This has been shared with the class Google Plus page that will be used by students to complete the programme.

I had initially planned on setting up individual Google Plus pages for each student, however, this can't be done as users need to be 13 and over to have their own accounts.

A significant change - from Evernote to Google Plus

I have made a significant change to the way that I will be doing my research project; this being to focus on sharing the content lessons, student feedback, and the forum entirely through Google Plus (with a wee bit of Blogger thrown into the mix).

The basic structure of the programme will be the same, with lessons created, shared, forum comments, and feedback to students based on their pronunciation and use of Mandarin language.

The primary reason for the change is that audio recordings can't be made on Evernote desktop (as far as I can see, perhaps someone out there knows how to).  When I initially set up the programme I had been using Evernote on an iPad, on which it is very easy to create audio recordings in notes.  Audio recordings can also be created on Evernote using Android tablets and iPod Touch.

Fortunately I have been in the process of getting my head around Google Plus.  The format is perfect for my project; levels of privacy are easy to set, sharing with groups is simple, and audio can be used by both myself as teacher, and the students as participants in the programme.

I'm excited by the change, and am looking forward to working with my Mandarin class on the project.

Students Organised

I have organised the group of students who will be taking part in my research project; it will be a full class (only 16 students) of year 5 to 8 students. I had initially planned to work with only year 7 and 8 students (there are only five in the class), but the class teacher has requested that the whole class be able to be involved in the Mandarin language lessons.

And including Google Docs in the process too!

Another change that I will make to the process is including Google Docs in  my action research.  Google Docs will be my means of sharing lessons with the students (I had previously intended to share lessons through Evernote).  The Docs will include links to specific blog lessons.

I will create a folder to share with all of the students taking part in the programme.  Lessons will be added to the folder as the programme develops.

A key reason for my incorporating Google Docs is that, to my delight, my new school, St Mary's, has Google Apps set up and established within the school.  I can set up and share Docs with the group, and communicate by email where necessary.

Evernote will still be used for student personal folders. 

Incorporating Blogger and Facebook rin the learning process

I am making an adjustment to the process that I will use for my research; this being to include Blogger and Facebook in the process.  This will be done by using a Mandarin blog (that I have previously created) as a means of sharing learning content with the group.  The blog address is:

http://mandarinlanguagelessons.blogspot.co.nz/

The purpose of this is to potentially include others in the learning process, though in a more informal way that doesn't require the use of Evernote, and the passwords associated with accessing Evernote.  Ideally I would like the school community to learn alongside the focus student group.  This will be done by weekly posts on the school Facebook page with links to language content on the blog.

An article on bilingualism

This article from the New Zealand Herald ties in nicely with my research.  It starts:

'Proficiency in languages opens many doors but needs maintenance - the ultimate 'use it or lose it'.

My view is that 'a little often' when learning a new language will have a positive impact on on language acquisition,  but the important thing is to be consistent  

It will be interesting to see how my own programme for this research meets the learning needs of the students who take part.

Observations on students

For the purpose of journaling for this research project I will continue with the Blogger format; I really do believe it's such a great way to keep a journal, as it encourages you to update it regularly due to the fact that the date settings can't be changed!

For observations of students, I will use an Evernote folder that is shared only with the course coordinator.

Forgotten passwords!!!

Unbelievable!  I have forgotten my passwords for Evernote and the gmail account I used to set up the Evernote account!  I have just gone through the process of doing it all again, but this time I have recorded the password and username details on a Google Doc in my primary email account.

I feel like an idiot!

Evernote programme set up

Last night I set up my Evernote account and folders for my action research.  The folders are for the lessons and the forum.  I will set up students folders as soon as I have access to the class list.

Selected Students

I have decided to focus on students in my new school (St Mary's in Carterton) for my action research.  The students will be in a year 5-8 composite class (the majority being years 5 and 6).  My decision is based on the fact that it will hopefully become a long term programme, whereas longivity would be more difficult with students from the school I am leaving at the end of the term.

Yah! Access to the Costello reading!

I have just accessed the Patrick Costello online book on action research through the library.  I'll read through this over the weekend to gain an understanding of the process, preparing me to start my own research project.

How do I do action research?

I'm now looking for a guide / process to complete my action research process.  I haven't been able to access the Costello reading on action research, however, I read the Saul & Launius article from the suggested readings for Week 7.  Interesting reading, but is more of a case for and about action research, as opposed to a system for carrying out the process.  

I need a step by step guide for my research.  Finding one (most likely through accessing the Costello reading) is the next step in my project.

Which students?

I have a delama; I am changing schools at the end of the term and I'm not sure which students to base my action research around:

• Shall I focus on the students at my current school and carry on with them after I have left? or
• should I focus on students at my new school who I will have daily contact with from the beginning of Term 2?

The advantage of focusing on students are my current school is that I can start straight away, or at least from the beginning of week 11, and I know the students well.  The disadvantage is that I will lose regular contact with them once the term finishes.

The advantage of focusing on students from my new school is that I will have regular contact with them from the beginning of Term 2.  The disadvantage is that I can't realistically begin until the new term starts, meaning that I'll only have a limited time to work with them.

I'll need to make my decision soon, and plan to by the end of the weekend.

My idea

This is my idea for Assignment 2.  I posted it on the forum yesterday.  I may make changes, depending on any feedback I receive.  However, it does relate closely to my focus question for Assignment 1.2:

'Online learning programmes will enhance student engagement and motivation, and increase  levels of achievement'
 

 Question I wish to answer

Can Evernote be used as an effective online tool to create an online programme to learn a language, specifically Mandarin.

Why it is important? (just a couple of sentences)

All Year 7 and 8 students are now required to learn a second language.  Although there is a Ministry developed programme (Hao), it’s not a sequential programme.  Additionally, China is now our second largest trading partner, and the number of tourists arriving from China every year is growing.

Short description of the activity (what my students will do)

1. I will create a Mandarin language account on Evernote.  
2. Within the Mandarin Evernote account I will create a lesson folder.  A new lesson will be posted each week, including a link to a You Tube video, an audio recording, and basic notes.
3. A folder will be set up for each student taking part in the programme.  For each lesson students will record themselves pronouncing the focus phrase using the Evernote audio recording function.  They will also write a reflective comment on how they think they did.
4. I will provide feedback on each of the lessons.  Students will also be able to provide feedback to their peers.
5. I will set up a final folder that will be used as a forum for students to ask and answer questions, share ideas, etc.

How will I know if the implementation of this activity has been successful?

The students will be able to have a basic conversation in Mandarin, incorporating all of the language introduced in the programme.

Getting started

I have decided to use a Blogger blog as my journal for Assignment 2.  I've used blogger before extensively, finding the interface easy to use and to share information and ideas on.